2013 Telling our stories
Alison Huyett Outreach coordinator,
alison@conservationnw.org
For wolves
Ready for reconciliation
Range rider Bill Johnson meets with Alison in the Teanaway. Jay Kehne
Lawyer, doctor, veterinarian, fire
fighter, astronaut. These are the responses you expect from six-year-olds when
asked, "What do you want to be when
you grow up?" Wildlife biologist to save
the snow leopard? Not quite the typical
response, but it was mine nonetheless.
So how does a six-year old get this specific career path into her head? It all started with a stuffed snow leopard given as a
Christmas present from Mom and Dad.
It was this metamorphic moment where
the seeds of a conservation ethic were
planted. This gift introduced me into the
world of endangered species and rapidly
Connecting people
disappearing habitat, both of which have
resulted from human neglect.
At a young age I began to see the
brokenness of our world and how wild
species hurt as a result. I found myself
drawn to the story of reconciliation and
redemption through the lens of nature.
It was this recognition that took me
on a journey—through multiple stints in
academia, to the savannas of Tanzania, to
the Rocky Mountains, to the high Himalayas, and finally to Conservation Northwest and the Pacific Wolf Coalition.
When I began this journey, I thought
I would be spending my time working
with wildlife to restore decades of human abuse on nature. As I have learned
along the way, this work is less about
wildlife and more about the need for
reconciliation between humans regarding wildlife. Nevertheless. restoring
these relationships is vital to restoring
wildlife and wildlands. And it requires
a lot of time, effort, and, most importantly, patience.
It's the best kind of work for someone like me. And, besides, how many
people do you know living out their sixyear-old self 's dream?
Derrick Knowles Conservation
coordinator, derrick@conservationnw.org
Relating to nature
After eating more than necessary at
Thanksgiving dinner this year, we decided to join the movie crowds to watch
the new "Hunger Games." These films
are entertaining movies with a bleak
take on the society of the future.
With the world a mess and political
oppression ruling the day, two of the
main characters find their only joy and
peace out beyond the city fence in the
forbidden wildlands where they hunt
and enjoy being free in nature. These
scenes I immediately related to, but I
couldn't help wonder how many other
people in the theater felt the same way.
Connecting people to nature is more
urgent today than ever. I chose to get
more involved with efforts to protect
wildlife and wild nature after watching
many of the outdoor escapes I enjoy and
rely on come under attack by develop-
8 Winter 2014
ment and old-school logging practices.
I've heard so many others say the same
thing. Today, many of the global threats
to the planet's natural life systems and
civilization (like climate change and
mass extinction), may be more difficult
to rally change around—but that only
makes connecting people in meaningful
ways to nature and conservation solutions all the more important.
My work this past year with Conservation Northwest has been rewarding and inspiring, whether it was supporting range riding and other policy
solutions that help ranchers and wolves
coexist or engaging field volunteers to
keep tabs on potential interactions between wolves and livestock.
My wish and hope for the coming
year? That we will continue to find new
and better ways to connect greater num-
Afoot in the Kettle Range. Leif Jakobsen
How can we connect more
people to nature and
conservation solutions?
bers of people with the natural world
and inspire them to support solutions
to sustain our wild backyard and local
communities here in the Northwest.
conservationnw.org
